Morality and God Essay Example for Free

Morality and immortal EssayMorality only exists if we deal in God at that placefore if God doesnt exist in that respect is no morality. There stir been so many evil human actions committed in the name of God that it is difficult to maintain that a tone in God equates to morality. There ar situations that happen every day where decisions atomic number 18 made hindquartersd off of human pays that contradict the word of God. Morality set abouts from within, it is an fellow feeling of make up versus reproach and the ability to choose what is right. K todaying all this a belief in God is non a requirement for a soul to be moral. (Mosser, 2011) We be taught that morals are basically the difference between right and wrong.A child may be taught that stealing is wrong because it hurts the pedigree owner and can ruin the childs reputation. Or the child may be told that if they steal they will be punished because God is unendingly watching. The child has learned the fun damental difference between right and wrong, even if the reasoning is different. This will allow the child to make moral decisions when they grow up whether it is base off of human compassion or fear of God. If we accept that the child understands right from wrong regardless of their reason, we accept that God is not a requirement to be a moral person.If a person observes an act of violence or torture, they are morally required to stop it. In scriptural times these acts were not only legitimate but encouraged by the bible. Today, a person would not ignore these things simply because they did not believe in God. There are human rights that we believe each person is entitled to and someone with good morals would help out some other person in need because it is the right thing to do. If it turned out that God does not exist, violence and torture would not suddenly become acceptable. (Mosser, 2011) Mass acceptance of a belief does not make it right.Ancient religions that believed in numerous gods hurt been pushed aside as fairy tales, for the more widely accepted belief in a depravitygle God. During their time those gods were prayed to just as fervently as todays God. What was accepted as true back then is now known as a fable, and the laws of the day have been wiped away and replaced with our modern laws. These laws were put in to place to punish people who do wrong to others. They have become the moral balance. If you do wrong you will be punished, if you continue to do what is right you will live unmolested and enjoy your freedoms.God is not a requirement for someone to act morally, because there are earthly punishments for crimes. There is no right or wrong without God because He determines what is right and wrong. Moral standards cannot be enforced without God to ensure that we are punished or rewarded for our acts. Someone who does not believe in God may exchange their morals to whatever suits them at the time. We have been given guidelines by God on what is morally acceptable, and informed of the punishment that comes with being immoral. When an individual does not believe in God they cannot be a moral person, because they have no moral standards.(Millard, A. 2000) The Ten Commandments give us a basic understanding of what is right and wrong. These Commandments along with various give-and-takes from the bible determine which acts are moral and which are immoral. An individual who witnesses a crime but does not believe in God can simply decide that they are not responsible for stopping the crime. This may lead one to believe that if a non-believer does something right that they have morals. This is not the case, because they could just as easily do wrong and their conscience would have been just as clear.They have no moral compass to tell them that this act is leading them astray from God. (Riskin, S. 2007) If one does not believe in God they cannot know right from wrong and cannot do what is right because they do not have the understanding. The lack of a belief in God means that rules do not have to be followed. If you do not fear the wrath of God, there is nothing to stop you from committing immoral acts, or any crimes for that matter. Any situation can be over lifeed because there is no fear of punishment without a fear of God.Only a person with a firm belief in God can be considered moral because they fear His punishment and proneness his reward. God is the only person great enough to enforce moral standards, without his guidance there can be no binding morals. Moral standards come from God and without Him a person cannot be moral. When we talk in absolutes we ignore possibilities that exist outside of our beliefs. There are many examples of individuals that believed in God who acted immorally, as well as examples of people who do not believe in God acting with good morals. Their beliefs do not determine their morality, their acts do.If we are to base morality solely on a belief in God then which bel iever do we follow? Do we follow the believer who commits crimes, or only the believer who is an upstanding member of society? Adolf Hitler was raised as a Catholic, and in his adult life spoke of his religious beliefs. He valued to create a pure Germany, through a religion known as positive Christianity. Positive Christianity removed the Jewish elements from the standard Christianity doctrine and replaced them with national socialist philosophy. More than six million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust in the ideal of positive Christianity.Bill Gates is noted as saying he does not know if there is a God or not, yet he donates billions of dollars to Charity every year. The foundation he formed with his wife to allot extreme poverty and poor health in third world countries has brought attention and relief to millions of people across the globe. These acts were not done in the hopes that they would be rewarded, but instead to help the human condition. A general concern ab out the welfare of our neighbors is not exclusive to God. Not every action is based solely off of a persons morals.There are many reasons people decide to do things and we cannot judge a persons moral standing off of a single action. We do not look at Adolf Hitler and say that he is a great moral figure because he believed in God. On the same note we do not look at Bill Gates, a non-believer and say that he is immoral. We look at their actions over time and determine whether or not they acted morally. We know that killing millions of innocent people is immoral just as we know that helping roll and injured people is moral. Which God you believe in determines what you consider to be moral.Muslims agree that polygamy is acceptable. Protestants and the Jewish believe divorce is acceptable if real conditions are met. Catholics are strictly against both polygamy and divorce. Which God is morally right? All of these groups worship the same God, so perhaps it is the translation of the wo rd of God that is in question. When we look at this we begin to have a better understanding that Gods contradictory words could bring the thought of what is moral crumbling down. There are many controversial moral endorsements in the bible that are accepted today.There are also commands given that are ignored because they are no longer socially accepted as truth. Exodus 2013 says we must not kill. However, Leviticus 2013 tells us that if a man lies with another man he must be put to death. There are many debates and arguments over whether homosexuality is moral, but we overlook the second part of the scripture because it is no longer held as a valid punishment. The times have changed and we cannot murder or we will go to jail. Leviticus 1919 says it is a sin to wear clothes made from two different types of material.You will be hard pressed to find anyone backing up this claim today. (King James Bible) many religious people have chosen scripture from the bible to suit their lifestyle s over the years, but ignore things that are no longer socially accepted as immoral. They hold others to strict standards on matters that they do not agree on and use verses from the bible to support their viewpoint. If everyone used the internal right versus wrong approach to morality there would be less confusion on which standards we held each other to.It is unfair to condemn someone for something using half of a statement from the bible, and then ignore the rest of the statement because it does not agree with current beliefs. Our faith, lessons from our parents or even witnessing other peoples actions are different reasons to decide what we believe is moral. All three have flaws that can lead to differing views on the same subject. However, at the end of the day there are certain things that everyone accepts as morally right, or morally wrong. These are situations where it does not matter how you learned it, you just know it.Biblical teachings tell us that certain things are acc eptable, while others are punishable by death. But in the legal society of America acting on the acceptable things will land you in prison, and the immoral sins are inalienable rights. Every day decisions are made across the world without having to consider if we will be punished by a higher being. These things prove that a person does not have to believe in God to act morally. A moral person is someone who not only understands the difference between right and wrong, but also does what is right.The lack of God in someones life doesnt make a person immoral just as the presence of God does not make someone moral. Morality is not proven by a belief in God. References King James Bible Millard, A. (2000). How reliable is exodus? Biblical Archaeology Review, 26(4), 50-57. Retrieved from http//search. proquest. com/docview/214908737? accountid=32521 Mosser, K. (2011). Logic an introduction. San Diego Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Riskin, S. (2007). Ten commandments audience? Washington Jewis h Week. Retrieved from http//search. proquest. com/docview/220857354? accountid=32521.

Leadership Essay Example for Free

Leadership EssayVice Principal Mr. Leonard Curry entered the main staffing office of the Academy and ordered a young teacher to get out into her class. Her quiet gentle response was, I do not have a class now, sir.What was his rebuttal take a firm stand that the schedule had been convinced and it was her period to be teaching a 10th graders Biology class. She replied by asking if it were ethical for her to be informed in such a manner pointing out that a memo is the acceptable mode of transmitting such changes. This was followed by a gentle explanation she wanted to realize her duties without conflict.Further he said that it was her responsibility to check out changes on the teachers assignment notice board from time to time. She reiterated that that was an unconstitutional procession since it was not stated like that in the bylaws of the school. They continued to argue with the principal threatening her with suspension for insubordination had she not complied. A disciplina ry report was ultimately filed for insubordination and disobeying the rule of law.Impact on credibilityPrincipal-Mr.Cury disp siteed a tendency towards an autocratic leadership style. Once how to address the issue was lawful inscribed in the bylaws stipulating a particular way to inform about staffing changes it had to be adhered to. It would appear that the young teacher reminding him of it antagonized the situation. This is a challenge to his credibility.Communication-It is clear that there was a change of command in terms of communication. The principal seemed to have erred. His reaction is to blame the young teacher for his mistake by imposing a penalty on her for his mistake. This is often a management strategic adopted in a autocratic culture.Power of influencein this situation the power of influence lay in the position or status of principal. The principal used it to make himself look respectable while casting blame onto unsuspecting immature teacher.

Socio Cultural Environment Line With Its Sustainability Drive Marketing Essay

Socio Cultural Environment Line With Its Sustainability Drive Marketing EssayAbstractThis is a case matter on Unilever credit line strategy. It would adjudicate to analyze the strategic position of the convention with the help of SWOT, PEST and BCG Matrix models. The paper would critic anyy assess the competitive situation of the confederacy in resemblance to other(a) major product based companies in the market and partys financial performance and key issues. In the end it would submit few recommendations.The case study is my first effort towards analyzing the business enterprise strategy of Unilever and its success in the market. Since Unilever is so famous and its products so widely used all over the world, it is of great please for me to carry out a case study on its business strategy. The paper would greatly help me and the readers to understand some key issues concerning Unilever in todays business world.Introduction2.1. About UnileverUnilever is a multi-national corpo ration, formed of Anglo-Dutch parentage that owns many of the worlds consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. Unilever employs nearly 180,000 people and had worldwide revenue of almost 40 zillion in 2005.Unilever is a triple-listed company consisting of Unilever NV in Rotterdam, internetherlands and Unilever PLC in London, England. This arrangement is similar to that of Reed Elsevier and that of Royal Dutch Shell earlier to their unified structure. Both Unilever companies have the same directors and effectively operate as a single business. The current non-executive Chairman of Unilever N.V. and PLC is Michael Treschow while P Mr Paul Polman is the free radical Chief Executive. The company is widely listed on the worlds stock exchanges (About Unilever 2008).2.2. HistoryUnilever was founded in 1930 through merger by the British, prize Brother and the Dutch, margarin Unie now Unilever PLC in London, U.K and Unilever N.V in Rotter dam, Netherlands respectively. In 1872 before the merger, Jurgens and Van den Bergh, the Dutch, built factory in Netherlands for the production of Margarine made from milk and fact. In 1927, they formed Margarine Unie (margarine Union) together with two European Businesses, Centre and Schicht. Lever Co on the other hand was founded in 1884 by British William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James, and was producing soap fair weather soap for people in England especially for women. William Lever wrote to make cleanliness commonplace to lessen work for women to foster health and contribute to personal attractiveness, that life may be more enjoyable and rewarding for the people who use our products. In 1890, Lever Co become limited company known as Lever Brothers (Uhomhoabhi, Fredrick Albert 2008)Unilever, Unilever N.V and Unilever PLC comprise Unilever group. Both companies have the same directors. Its annual turnover in 2005 was 39.672 billion and employs206, 000 employees around the world.1 Unilever brands consist of Food, Beverage, and Home and Personal Care. Some of these products are Knorr, Breyers and Magnum, Lipton, Omo (detergent) etc. Knorr has the biggest gross sales of 2.3 billon in 2005.In May 2007 it became the first tea company to commit to sourcing all its tea in a sustainable manner, asking the Rainforest Alliance, an external environmental NGO, to start certifying its tea estates in East Africa. It declared its aim to have all Lipton Yel clinical depression Label and PG Tips tea bags sold in westward Europe certified by 2010, followed by all Lipton tea bags globally by 2015. Covalence, an ethical reputation rank agency, placed Unilever at the top of its ranking based on positive versus negative news coverage for 2007. In 2008 Unilever was honored at the 59th Annual Technology Engineering Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for Creation and Distribution of Interactive Commercial Advertising Delivered throug h Digital Set Top Boxes for its program Axe.Strategic position of the companyThe strategic position of the company shall be analyzed through following techniques3.1. S.W.O.T AnalysisThe overall evaluation of a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is called SWOT analysis. In general, a business unit has to monitor key macro environment forces (demographic-economic, technological, semipolitical-legal, and social-cultural) and significant microenvironment actors (customers, competitors, distributors, suppliers) that affect its ability to earn gains. The business unit should set up a merchandising intelligence system to track tends and important developments. For each trend or development, management needs to identify the associated opportunities and threats.StrengthsRecognized as a global company. wet brand portfolio.Strong relationship with retailersEconomies of scale.Corporate social behaviorVariety of productsWeaknessesDual leadershipLimited costumer connecti onInefficient management of brands inability to maximize acquisitionsLack of control in the marketReduced spending on RDOpportunitiesChanging consumer preferencesIncreasing need for healthy productsLow income consumersRapid harvest-time in populationThreatsDecrease in revenueStrong competition(PG)Tougher business climateExchange ratesEconomic crisisIncrease in production and tote cost3.2. BCG MatrixStars(High market ontogeny share)LuxSunsilkWalls ice creamFair lovelyRafhanEnergileAXEVaslinePG tipsDogs(Low market growth share)Wheel detergent arbitrary teaLifebuoy shampoo exchange cows(Low growth High share)Surf excelPondsLiptonClose upBlue bandDove soapRexonaKnorrQuestion marks(High growth low share)Clear shampooRinComfortBen JerrysPersil3.3. PESTEL Analysis3.3.1. Political/Legal environmentUnilever, as a matter of policy, set a standard as to the way of tackling political issues. Unilever has its tactical way of handling political issues. First, in the 1960s, many countrie s began to nationalize foreign firms which as well affected Unilever. This was a call for topical anaesthetic equity participation in foreign firms. Thus, so many companies were subject to local control on prices, imports, employment of expatriates and so on. As a issuing of the unfavorable effect of nationalization policy, in the 1970, many US companies e.g. IBM and coca cola left India. There was fear by foreign companies uncertain issues much(prenominal) as knowledge leakage, loss of trademark etc. this was also hazardous for Unilever as its control over cognitive process in the market was reduced. For example UAC, a subsidiary of Unilever, whose operation was in many African countries (Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, etc.), was focused on as its profit margin and rate of easy remittance of profit to its Anglo-Dutch parent was enormous. Nationalizing UA Chambered Unilevers control over the market where UAC operates. However, Unilever uses its experience and goodwill to make contacts in many countries to bargain with government so as to convert their regulations. In central and south America, Unilever only engaged in lobbying rather than active politicking. In other words, Unilever never get involved in sponsoring political parties. Today, Unilever has gained political ground using its tactical strategy and experience. Unilever is a member of many organizations all over the world. The aim is to render favorable business environment, and also facilitate corporate reputation management.3.3.2. Economic environmentUnilever market environment is becoming noblely competitive especially in the Western Europe. Procter Gamble (PG) is wholeness of the major competitors in the European market. More so, thither are so many discounters in the European market resulting from EU free trade policy. This has had adverse effect on Unilevers profit potentials. Retailers are pressurizing FMCG producers to reduce prices of their products.Consumers on the other h and would not want to buy expensive product or brands cod to current economic tide. Competition in EU has grown so strong that Unilever is facing difficulties in places like France, Netherlands. In the developing countries and the emerging economies (Asia and Africa), where there are political instability, Unilever has adopted its company strategy to ensure that its profitability drive is sustained. Some Products are packaged in small size for low or regular income earner, for affordability. In some developing countries, Nigeria to be precise, there was uncertainty about duties to be paid by companies due to inflation and magnetic variation of currency. The effect on Unilever was a decrease in profit in 2005 compared to 2004, though there was increase in turnover.3.3.3. Socio-cultural environmentUnilever has continued to maintain neural impulse in its socio-cultural environment in line with its sustainability drive. The company is working relentlessly to bring improve hygiene and better nutrition to people in Asia, Africa and Latin America, especially the poor and obesity. Over 30% of Africa population lives on less than $1 per day. By this, Unilever strengthens it goodwill. However, the low literacy of consumers affects marketing vehicles such as advertisement in print media. This therefore requires employment of more resources, for instance to enhance face-to-face communication. Besides, Unilever employs about 100 nationalities. It ensures that diversity works for every clay both employees and consumer alike. In order to strike and ensure that diversity works amongst employees, Unilever employed the strategy of so as to manage and leverage diversity. Unilever is focused on building an exclusive culture and cover difference, which resulted in high demand of its products in the developing and emerging markets.3.3.4. Technological environmentRight in the 1930s, Unilever continue to diversify. Business continue to boom in the1950s with new technology being invented to boast production and enhance quality products for consumer, competitors improving their products using new inventions. Unilever did not give up its effort in RD. Since 2000, Unilever has been spending on ITto improve its business especially in the area of e-business so as to improve brands communication and market through internet, making accomplishment simple along chain.Today, Unilever is trying to minimize cost through IT efficiencies at global level. In addition, Unilever Technology Venture works in collaboration with Unilever RD group to help Unilever meet consumers needs. Area of concern is genomics, advanced bioscience, advanced materials science and nanotechnology. In 2003, Unilever installed and commissioned pallet live storage system from Bitto Storage arranging Ltd. This was meant to store its frozen products. The facilities include pallet live storage systems, carton live storage systems, pallet racking, boltless shelving, credit card bins and containers, wide span and heavy excite shelving, cantilever racking, and multi-tier shelving systems.3.3.5. EnvironmentIn recognition of local legislation and to keep its corporate responsibilities, Unilever designed management system. Unilever has respect for consumer health and safety. This policy is to ensure all Unilever operators establish a formal environmental management system. Training programs are being arranged in various regions/business groups to ensure compliance with the company Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Environmental Care (SHE). This framework is based on the ISO 14001 management standard. Unilever had also worked in conjunction with government of countries of its operation as regards waste management. For instance in Ghana, 2004, over 21 tones of wastes were supplied to small and medium size recycling businesses in Accra, Ghana, by Unilever to reduce the amount of plastic waste sent to landfill.Financial performanceUnderlying sales growth of 7.4% was partly o ffset by movements in exchange rates (4.8%) and the net collision of disposals and acquisitions (1.4%). Including these effects, turnover was 40,523 million for the full class, increasing by 0.8%. Operating profit increased by 1,922 million to 7,167 million, including a higher level of profits on business disposals. These generated a pre-tax profit of 2,190 million in 2008, comparedwith 297 million in 2007. Net profit was 28% higher than last year, boosted by the profits on disposals. Earnings per share were 1.79, including a net gain of 0.36 fromRDIs. This compared with 1.35 last year, which included a net loss of 0.07 from RDIs.Net cash flow from trading operations at 3.9 billion was in line with last year. sum up cash returns to shareholders in the year were3.6 billion, made up of 2.1 billion of dividends and 1.5 billion of share buy-backs.4.1. Consolidated income statement(Highlights for the year ended 31 December) Million 2008 2007Turnover 40 523 40 187Operating profit 7 16 7 5 245Profit before taxation 7 129 5 184Taxation (1 844) (1 128)Net profit from continuing operations 5 285 4 056Net profit 5 285 4 136Combined earnings per share from aggregate operations 1.79 1.354.2. Consolidated balance sheet(As at 31 December) Million 2008 2007Non-current assets 24 967 27 374Current assets 11 175 9 928Current liabilities (13 800) (13 559)Total assets less current liabilities 22 342 23 743Non-current liabilities 11 970 10 924Shareholders equity 9 948 12 387Minority interests 424 432Total capital employed 22 342 23 7434.3. Consolidated cash flow statement(For the year ended 31 December) Million 2008 2007Net cash flow from operating activities 3 871 3 876Net cash flow from/ (used in) investing activities 1 415 (623)Net cash flow from/ (used in) financing activities (3 130) (3 009)Net increase/ (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 2 156 244Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 901 710Effect of foreign exchange rate changes (697) (53)Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2 360 9014.4. Financial ObjectivesUnilevers dreaming is to top Third Total Shareholder Return, over a 3 year rolling period out of peer group of 20 other companies. Its outlook for year 2010 is Un-geared free cash flow in the period 2005-2010 to be 25-30bn. Improvement in Return on Invested Capital. Underlying sales growth of 3-5% p.a. Operating margin of over 15% by 2010 after normal restructuring. Improved capital and tax efficiency.Market share and competition5.1. Top Unilever Competitors confederacyLocationProctor GambleCincinnati,OHKraft FoodsNorthfield, ILNestleVevey, Switzerland5.2. Competitor ComparisonUnileverP GKraftNestleTop SegmentC/G FoodsConsumer CareFoodFoodTop BrandDoveTideMac CheeseKitKatCEOA.BurgmansA.G.LefleyR.DeromediP.LetmatheStock per share$66.03$53.76$30.70$66.90Growth15.55%9.25%8.2%11.23% revenue enhancements$42.942m$28.2BL$31,010m$69.BLRevenue Growth-11.93%19%4.3%-1.93%International100+42150+86Business Segments3556Employees2340001100001060 0253000(Source Hoovers business Intelligence guide)5.3. social class position in the marketStrategic IssuesFollowing are some of the key strategic issues which Unilever faces today6.1. LeadershipUnilever maintains two business entities i.e. Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. Due to dual chairperson approach it faces following problems in their business strategyList stock separatelyShared board of directorsTypical management wear two, trey hatsConflict in Board and Business responsibilitiesCompany remains fragmentedReduced effectivenessSlow decision making process( Bureaucracy)Unilever believer (believe in Unilever)Unilever should create a sense of belief amongst its consumers. It should try and focus on program that focuses on brand initiative to the consumers. Use advertising that connects with consumer needsConsumers demand high quality products that are both convenient and deliciousConsumers look for new ways to use the productLarge population of single parent stick out holdMore f emales are working full-time jobsIncrease consumer focus on health and nutritionStrategy Justification7.1. Recommendation 1 realize an initiative to create an overall umbrella brand across all Unilevers brands that will eventually consolidate various businesses under one name.Unilever PlcUnilever NVOne UnileverProvides a greater clarity of leadership, responsibility, and accountabilityAllows Unilever to focus on the needs of their customers and consumers thus reigniting growth and increasing sales potentialProvides the ability to leverage scale of operationsCreate a strategic platform for brand managementRecommendation 2It should implement Unilever Believer product and brand extensions. The related example in this case is of Lipton tea. It should try and create an extension to this famous brand by focusing on energy drinks. Justifications areEnergy drinks jumped 56% in sales last yearMarket has exceed $100 million in the recent yearsMain Competitor Red BullPositioning bid A Healthi er Alternative to Energy DrinksUnilever should cash in this opportunity byTarget Market Young adults 18-32Uses stay up all shadow and/or start a night outMain Ingredients Caffeine, Vitamin B, GuaranaAdvertisements Highlight healthier ingredients of the product while showcasing its ability to give energy and revitalize body

Themes Of Fate And Destiny

Themes Of Fate And DestinyOedipus as a major victim of fate look at tried to evade his fate when he realized that he was going to kill his incur and sleep with his mother. His shocked and dreadful emotions made him run onward from his parents to evade this fate, but he was truly walking right into his fate. It seems that Oedipus overheard this prophecy by accident but we may wonder that all this was planned by the gods so that Oedipuss fate can carry on as planned. This later became a turning point that led the glorious and miserable life that follows Oedipus in his future.Oedipus tried to evade his fate, but for him fate was not easily evaded. In his case fate seemed to be decided from the begging of his life, and from birth his leg was shake up leaving three marks, which may foreshadow the choice he had to make at the cross road in future. Through this Sophocles is trying to show the judgement that our hatful might not be controlled by ourselves and this shows how powerless hu art objects are.The Shepherd who was ordered by the king to kill Oedipus may seem to be an irrelevant person in the play, but he plays a key role that led to Oedipuss final fate. He saves Oedipus and allowed the prophecy to happen. His sympathy caused Oedipus to curse him in the end when the shepherd reveals the truth closely Oedipus, because if Oedipus died as a baby he wouldnt be suffering and have an ending which seemed like a victuals hell for him. I think we cant blame the shepherd for saving Oedipus. The truth about Oedipus was brought on by himself as he insisted to reveal the truth. This expresses a human behavior of commiting to know the truth that can be related to our daily life. If a friend has some secret which he/she didnt want to share, we would be eager to ask them what it was about since we want to know the truth. The more they refuse to reveal the truth the more we want to know.Oedipus from nature has an unyielding desire to uncover the truth about everythin g and in this case, he wanted to find the murder of King Laius and also want to uncover the secret mystery of his proclaim birth. This desire accordingly led him to realize what he has done. Many characters such as Tiresias and Jocasta in the play tried to stop Oedipus from revealing the truth, but Oedipus was compulsive by his fate to uncover everything. This could be seen when Jocasta urged Oedipus that Stop-in the name of god, if you love your avouch life, call off this search My suffering is enough.1She begged Oedipus to leave the mystery unsolved, as at that point she might have realized what was really happening but she didnt want Oedipus to suffer. But Oedipus reply, Listen to you? No more. I moldiness know it all, must see the truth at last.2This was used by Sophocles to further illustrate the characteristics of Oedipus. His curiosity made him unable to stop pursuing the truth, which was the reason for him to solve the sphinx riddle, so even when his wife was pleading fr om him to stop, he still insisted on uncovering the mystery that seemed to be a riddle, which ends up to be his final riddle, the riddle of his own life.The quote A stranger you may think, who lives upon you, he soon get out be revealed a native of Theban3Foreshadows that the killer who seemed to a Stranger actually have a long bond with Thebes and at the time Oedipus didnt realize that it was him who had long ties with Thebes. Again this is related with the theme of fate and flock since this was said by the Tiresias who revealed the prophecy which eventually became true.In the play the Prophet says that, Blind who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich, he will grope his way towards a distant soil, a sick tapping before his step by step.4This foreshadows what will happen to Oedipus in the future. Oedipus does really take notice of what the illusionist says because he was angry and believed that everything the prophet said was a conspiracy. What he doesnt realize is that this is a significant prophecy the prophet made for him. As we see further in the play on how cruel he blinded himself and how he left Thebes. This relates to the theme of fate, since the prophet actually knows what will happen to Oedipus, which makes us wonder whether god really plans our destiny in advance.In the play the quote, He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance, he rose to power, a man beyond all power. Who could behold his vastness without envy? Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.5 shows that although Oedipus is a smart and mighty king he could still not reverse his destiny and had to end up living in misery alone. This causes the reader to sympathize with him for why is life so unfair to him, that such a good man ends up with such an ending.Then in the quote Revealed at last, brother and father both to the children he embraces, to his mother son and husband both-he sowed the loins his father sowed, he spilled his fathers blood6Sophocles gave the reader a fe eling of sorrow for both Oedipus and all the people related to him. Since everyone who is blood related to him will live in misery.Oedipus, no matter what he may try to do to avoid his fate. All his actions were pulling him right back to his final destiny, although revealing the truth contact his birth was his wish, but also believed to be the plan of the gods. His curiosity and intelligence which brought him fame and glory have also brought his downfall. Oedipus was too eager to end the suffering of his people, and so sending Creon to bring the prophet that led to the tragedy.I think that even when the prophet hinted that the killer was a stranger to the land and all this might be a plan of fate. It just encouraged him to be more eager to find the killer of King Laius instead of cooling himself done to think about it. If he did he might have realized what was happening. So it all seemed to happen as the fate guided and the gods were manipulating the minds of the man. And it seeme d that the people are just swindle pieces and are expendable when needed, thus they dont have control over their fate.This all started with a prophecy and the results of it was disastrous. So we ask ourselves are we supposed to know the will of god or should we be ignorant. If the old King of Thebes did not know of the prophecy then he would not have tried to kill Oedipus, then the family would have lived happily together, but due to the prophecy it turned into a disastrous event. This raises the question of whether the prophecies of gods there to help us or to cause problems for us? It is ironic how things could have turned out to be differently. It seems that it is not fair for Oedipus or anyone to have their final destiny decided, without giving them a chance to transfigure it, and for Oedipus his fate was determined to end terribly even at the beginning of his life.

Background of steganography

Background of steganographySteganography has been derived from Greek word Stego which means Covered and Graphia which means writing. Steganography is an ancient technique of covert communication. The earliest form of Steganography has been reported by the Chinese. The secret heart was written in very fine silk or paper, and then it was rolled into a ball and covered with wax. The messenger would either demoralise the ball or hide it in his nether parts. Herodotus has mentioned in one of his seminal works of history, Histories during the 400B.C about the tradition of secret writing. In his publications he has mentioned about the conflicts surrounded by Greece and Persia. A king named Histiaeus encouraged the Aristagoras of Miletus to revolt against the Persian king. He utilize to tonsure the head of his most trusted servants and tattooed the scalps with secret message and waited for the hair to grow. The servant used to travel between the borders without carrying everything conte ntious freely. At the reception end his head would be tonsured again and the message ordain be conv shopping centerd. Similarly during the World War II, the Germans invented the use of microdots. Image renting great expand were scaled down to the size of microdots. The German usage of secret sh argon is regarded as the recent evolution of Steganography. An other face of Steganography is during the Vietman War were the captured US armed force showed hand gestures during a photo sessions to convey some multitude secrets. The field of Steganography is limitless and every kind of cover media nominate be used for carrying secret messages. Cover medias mountain be text, images (grey, binary, color), audio, video etc. An poser is illustrated as follows.Siva and Adam dined happily.The following message is not simply a plain text but it carries a secret message inside it. By extracting every second letter from each word we derive a secret message as follows.IndiaOther orders of non technical Steganography is development scatter and other citrus liquids to write secret info. The message will be imperceptible to the eye. When it is shown over a flame the writings will become perceptible. Steganography is method of information hiding. Steganography can be considered as an art as well as science for secret communication.The best way to explain the purpose of using Steganography is the Prisoner Problem. Now let us consider ii prisoners Alice and Bob, and Wendy to be the warden. Now if Alice and Bob want to devise a plan for escaping then they got to turn over with each other. If Wendy is a passive warden then he wont interfere in there communication but if he is an active warden then he will interfere and extract the secret message move. Hence Alice and Bob got to communicate in such a way that Wendy is not able to decipher there plan. This can be do by the technique of Steganography.Steganography is been used in order to enable secret communication. It is also being used by terrorist for covert communication which is potential for endangering our national as well as world security. Despite the ill effect there are positive sides of Steganography. For example a photographer can store the aperture size, future references etc while taking a picture. Steganography has a wide application in medical imaging were the details of the patients are enter within the medical image. Similarly Steganography can be used for different friendly applications. It is also used for copy right apology using it along with Watermarking.The use of Steganography also has an important role in strengthening national security. Steganography is defined as secret hiding. It can also be regarded as secret sharing since messages can be shared secretly without being hacked or corrupted.COMPARISON BETWEEN CRYPTOGRAPHY, STEGANOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKINGThe other forms of data hiding are cryptography and watermarking. coding is a technique in which the secret message is encrypted and sent in an unintelligent format. The basic conflict between Steganography and cryptography is that cryptogram scrambles the data whereas Steganography just hides the data. cryptograph scrambles the secret data in such a way that it appears to be gibberish to any unintended user. The secret data to be communicated is a mixture of permutation and substitution and hence any unintended user cant receive the message.Steganography is different from Cryptography. Steganography rather hides the data whereas Cryptography encrypts the data. Steganography provides much more security when compared to cryptography because there is no chance of any unintended user to know that a message is being sent whereas in Cryptography there will always be a suspicion that a message is being sent. Hence these are more addicted to be hacked or suppressed.Watermarking is generally used for authentication and copyrights protection. Watermarking can be used for creating a image in order that i t is recognizable. It can also be used to mark a digital file so that it is intended to be visible (visible watermarking) or visible to its creator (invisible marking). The main purpose of watermarking is to impede the illegal copying or claim of ownership of digital media.CHARACTERISTICS OF STEGANOGRAPHY, CRYPTOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKINGThe common characteristic between Steganography, Cryptography and Watermarking is that they transmit the secret information in such a way that only the receiver is able to decrypt the data. These techniques had been prevalent during the ancient times have been transported to the digital world. It has become nearly impossible to extract or detect the secret messages. In digital domain Steganography and watermarking have a tie and it is majorly used in digital images. These have other uses as well. Both cannot exist by themselves and hence they require cover goals. Steganography requires a cover media to carry the secret information and watermarking r equires a postman object which it is intended to protect. These similarities create a link within them and hence some modifications can lead the transportation from one technique to another. Due the similarities present between these it is difficult to distinguish between the both but actually there is a remarkable difference between them. Cryptography encrypts data in two methods secure or unbreakable (e.g. One-time pad) frames and breakable (e.g. RSA) systems. Through both the systems communication carried out is known to all. But it is time consuming and often fruitless to get out a code. The robustness of the code lies upon the difficulties faced while reversing the code in different permutations and combinations. Due to its robustness it is used for security purposes. For example Cryptography is used for online shopping, banking etc. The credit card number, expiration etc and other crucial informations are encrypted and sent so that an unintended user cant access the details .Steganography offers high mail carrier potentiality keeping embed message invisible and maintaining the fidelity of the cover media. The efficiency of the Steganographic method is that one shouldnt know that a media file has been altered in order for embedding. If the malicious user knows if there is some alteration the Steganographic method is defeated and less efficient. The embedded message is very fragile and hence if any modification is done to the stego image the whole secret message is corrupted. The effectiveness lies on the ability to fool an unintended user. The layers of communication can be more than one layer. A secret message can be embedded with a digital image which in turn can be embedded within another digital media or video clippings.Watermarking is unavoidable in order for authentication and copyright protection of digital files. The embedded watermarking is required in an object to make it impossible to remove completely. If the embedded watermarking is rem oved, then the marked object is either distorted or destroyed making it useless for anyone. This is the close why watermarking is more robust when compared to the other image processing techniques, such as compression, cropping, rotation etc. hence even if a tiny atomic number 42 of information is extracted by modification and tempering the rightful owner can still claim ownership. If the owners name is embedded in the digital image and the particular image then the original information is tampered and destroyed. Unlike Steganography, it is acceptable for everyone one to see the watermark embedded in it including the invisible ones.COMBINED EFFORTS OF STEGANOGRAPHY, CRYPTOGRAPHY AND WATERMARKINGCryptography is used as a paisano of the other two data hiding techniques. Data is encrypted in both the techniques in order to increase the randomness of the Steganography to forefend the statistics-based attacks and to protect the hidden data in watermarking. Commonly it is a practice t o first encrypt the data and then use any one of the embedded techniques.The importance of watermarking can be stated as follows. Suppose Rs 100 preeminence is introduced in December 2009 then watermarking is required in order to bar illegal copies. If the bill is shown in light a small image will appear within the mammoth image. The watermarking is actually a part of the large paper and is visible on both sides. Hence it becomes difficult to produce a paper with such features. In addition to these features some tiny writings which are invisible to the human eyes are present in the paper.A banker having the necessary equipments (magnifying glass) can tell the difference between the original bill and the fake bill. Steganography makes its play here. The tiny printing done on the bill represents Steganography. It is implemented in order to achieve high security. The tiny printing done in the paper cannot be copied since any commercial printer is incapable to print such a fine and t hin print leading to faint spots. These are the reasons why Steganography is used for high security.Cryptography is actually implemented in the bill. A serial number is been printed in the bill which may contain information about the location and date of bill is printed or any other confidential information. The unique serial number for each bill can be used for tracking purposes. Using Steganography, Cryptography and Watermarking it becomes impossible to reproduce Rs100 bill. It must be kept in mind that all three are different and have different functionality.REQUIREMENTS OF STEGANOGRAPHYcAny digital media can be used as a cover media. The cover media can be a text, image (color, gray), audio or video etc. Cover media is required in order to hide and carry the information. Usually digital images are required in order to hide secret messages. The secret message is hidden within the digital image. After the message is embedded within the cover mediaAn harmless image consisting of scenery, people and other objects are the nominees for cover media. The availability of natural images is not a problem due to the affordable price of digital cameras nowadays. innate images are the best candidates for cover image since they have higher resolution providing flexibility and other necessary need.Images are selected because the cover media is selected depending upon how the human visual system works. The gray image consists of pixels with intensity value from 0 to 255. The human eye cannot differentiate between a pixel intensity of 244 and 245. It will appear both the pixel intensities to be same. Also natural image s contains lots of noise and hence there is lots of pixel value intensity difference especially in the edges. This variation in the pixel intensity is known as randomness and can be exploited to embed the data without providing any suspicion to human eye. The human visual system wont be able to distinguish between the image before modulation and the image by and by modulation. The secret data is embedded within the cover image. The resulting image is called a stego-image. The stego-image will appear to be the same as the original image. The human eye cannot usually distinguish between the stego-image and the original image except there is a significant change between the images. In that case the Steganographic method diligent is ineffective. Hence there are certain Stego-system criteria which we have to follow while doing a Stegagraphic implementation. They are stated as follows.The major criteria of Steganography that the cover media shouldnt be importantly altered or modified.The embedded data should be directly encoded in the cover and not in the header or wrapper.The embedded data should be immune to modifications of the cover. That is if the cover media under goes any change then data embedded within it should be unaltered.During transmission there are chances of noise to clear and hence distortion due to noise cannot be elim inated. Due to this issue error coding algorithms should be included where ever it is required.It is advisable to avoid the leery portions while embedding the message in the cover. This because after embedding in these regions they become pay to suspicion. For example by embedding in smooth portions of the image, the resultant image becomes distorted and open to suspicion. Hence such portions are often avoided and portions where there is variation in the pixel intensity are preferred.The embedding efficiency must be improved. Efficiency of the embedding capacity depends upon the number of pixels in the image used for embedding purposes.The stego-image should be robust to steganalysis. Steganalysis is a method of identifying the difference between the original image and stego-image. Using steganalysis one can derive the information about the secret message.The stego-image should reassemble the original image and there should be any suspicion.The cover image should have high carrier capacity. That is the embedding capacity should be large. The amount of information present in the image should be resistant to distortion and should be comparable to the number of pixels present in the image.The three basic requirements of Steganography are robustness, capacity and imperceptibility. All these requirements should be satisfied for having an effective Steganographic method.

Free Essays - All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All Quiet on the Western Front  Erich maria Remarques All Quiet on the Western Front is one of the greatest war novels of all time. It is a story, non of Germans, but of men, who even though they whitethorn have escaped whips, were destroyed by the war.  The entire purpose of this novel is to illustrate the vivid horror and raw nature of war and to change the prevalent belief that war is an idealistic and romantic character.  The story centers on Paul Ba&252mer, who enlists in the German army with glowing enthusiasm.  But in the incline of war, he is consumed by it and in the end is weary, broken, burnt out, rootless, and without hope.  Through Ba&252mer, Remarque examines how war makes man inhuman.  He uses excellent words and phrases to describe crucial details to this theme. The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts.  Ba&252mer and his classmates who enlisted into the army see the true reality of the war.  They enter the war fresh from school, knowing nothing draw off the environment of hopeful youth and they come to a premature maturity with the war, their only home. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world and we had to shoot it to pieces.  We are not youth any longer. They have lost their innocents.  Everything they are taught, the world of work, duty, culture, and progress are not the slightest use to them because the only thing they take up to know is how to survive.  They need to know how to escape the shells as well as the emotional and psychological torment of the war. The war takes an heavy toll on the soldiers who fight in it. The scare of death will infest the minds of soldiers and bring about horrible images of death and destruction until they break down and go to pieces.  Every hour and everyday, every shell and every death cuts this thin line of sanity, and the years waste it rapidly.  In these dangerous moments, any corpse would have gone mad, h ave deserted their post, or have fallen.  It takes a fussy kind of soldier to deal with this emotional abuse a soldier who will not go to pieces at the sight of a mutilated body it takes a soldier like Ba&252mer.  Ba&252mer has grown accustomed to it war is the cause of death like influenza and dysentery.

Themes in Exodus by Julie Bertanga :: essays research papers

Exodus, Julie Bertanga, is a novel that is set in the future. Throughout the book many themes are discovered. The novel delves into the life of a cardinal year old girl, called mara. It is an adventurous fantasy story, that is about finding yourself and who you are.In this essay, I will be discussing the theme of assortment and responsibility, and how it is relates the character.Change is one of the biggest themes in this novel. It entwines with all other themes at some stage or a nonher. It begins write at the start of the book and ends with the novel. I believe the author made change a part of this novel because change is a part of everyones life. Without change life cannot progress and grow. People can become stuck if they do not experience enough change in early life. Sometimes the changes are small, and sometimes the changes are huge. A good example is Mara becoming an aged sister. That is a small change. The big change was when her family was gone, and she had to venture out to the world unknown by herself. One of the changes in this book is noofood.Mara looks at her eggshell of bright and beautiful noofood. Yuk. All around her in the caf, people are happily tucking in to exotic looking platefuls of the stuff, but it turns Maras stomach. The olfactory property of real food haunts her.This shows the difficulty of getting used to tonic things, and how it is human nature to stick with what we know. Mara has difficulty eating noofood because she has experienced the wonderful penchant of real food. Change is a necessity in this book, as Global Warming is threatening to kill all life from The Wing. This is where Mara comes in. It is her job and responsibility to go and find a new place to live, to start life again.This brings me to the theme of responsibility. Responsibility is a key part of life. accomplishment how and when to be responsible is one of the hardest things a person has to do. Although I believe it is a minor theme in this book, it still has a huge affect on Maras actions. Mara is the one who holds the responsibility in this novel. It is her task to find new land, a new way of life, a new way to survive. As the wing is rapidly disappearing because of the rising waters, they have to find a new place to settle.